The present invention generally relates to communication management control systems, communication control units therefor and computer program products, and more particularly, to a communication management control system, a communication control unit and a computer program product which manage exchanges of data with a plurality of terminals.
Conventionally, sales data and the like of a plurality of stores are stored and managed by a communication control unit such as a server and a host unit, using a local area network (LAN), a public line or a leased line which connects to the stores. In this case, a terminal is provided at each of the plurality of stores, which may be located at distant locations, and the communication control unit is coupled to the terminals via the LAN, the public line or the leased line. The sales data and the like are exchanged between the communication control unit and the terminals.
However, when the communication control unit is set up at a certain location and is coupled via the public line or the like to the terminals of the plurality of stores which are located at the distant locations so as to exchange data, it is not easy to connect a terminal of a new store depending on the processing capability of the communication control unit. If the processing capability of the communication control unit is insufficient to support the connection of an additional terminal, it is necessary to greatly modify the construction of the communication control unit so as to increase the processing capability thereof. Furthermore, if it is impossible to modify the construction of the communication control unit so as to obtain a sufficiently large processing capability that can support the connection of the additional terminal, it is necessary to replace the communication control unit with a new communication control unit which has the sufficiently large processing capability. In addition, the cost of the communication control unit and the communication management control system which includes the communication control unit increases when the communication control unit is modified or is replaced by the new communication control unit having the larger processing capability.
Therefore, there are problems in that the conventional communication control unit cannot flexibly cope, at a low cost, with an increase in the number of terminals which are coupled to the communication control unit. As a result, the communication control unit and the communication management control system can not provide high-speed processing when the number of terminals increases.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful communication management control system, a communication control unit therefor and computer program product, in which the problems described above are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a communication management control system, a communication control unit therefor and a computer program product, which can flexibly cope, at a low cost, with increases in the number of terminals and the amount of data processing within the communication management control system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a communication management control system which manages exchange of data between an external information processing unit and an internal information processing unit via a router, comprising a first local area network. (LAN) coupled to the internal information processing unit, a second local area network (LAN) coupled to the router, and a communication control unit coupled to the first LAN and the second LAN. According to the communication management control system of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly cope with changing conditions, such as increased in the number of terminals or the amount of data processing, at a low cost. Hence, even if a failure is generated in one or more units within the communication management control system, it is possible to continue the communication process by a unit which is operating normally.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a communication control unit which exchanges data between an external information processing unit and an internal information processing unit via a router, where the internal information processing unit is provided within a communication management control system having a first local area network (LAN) and a second local area network (LAN), and the communication control unit comprises means for coupling the communication control unit to the internal information processing unit and the first LAN, and means for coupling the communication control unit to the second LAN which is coupled to the router. According to the communication control unit of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly cope with changing conditions, such as increased in the number of terminals or the amount of data processing within the communication management control system, at a low cost. Hence, even if a failure is generated in one or more units within the communication management control system, it is possible to continue the communication process by a unit which is operating normally.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program product which stores a program for causing a computer to exchange data between an external information processing unit and an internal information processing unit via a router, the internal information processing unit being provided within a communication management control system having a first local area network (LAN) and a second local area network (LAN), comprising means for making the computer to couple the computer to the internal information processing unit and the first LAN, and means for making the computer to couple the computer to the second LAN which is coupled to the router. According to the computer program product of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly cope with changing conditions, such as the number of terminals or the amount of data processing within the communication management control system, at a low cost. Hence, even if a failure is generated in one or more units within the communication management control system, it is possible to continue the communication process by a unit which is operating normally.